Measured, Unafraid, Captivating, and Heroic. These are traits that embody a M.U.C.H. Woman. On the I Am M.U.C.H. Woman podcast, our goal is to deepen women’s relationship with God and grow in their understanding of His Word. Here, we’ll share stories of inspiration and testimonies to help women embrace their God-given identities and live courageously. Discover what it means to live by a higher standard, rooted in faith, and committed to becoming the woman God designed you to be.
Celisse: But do you believe it, you know? Do you believe what he says he is, and who he says he is? And then, when you believe it, do you trust it?
CortneyJo: Welcome to the I Am MUCH Woman podcast, where we inspire and guide women to deepen their personal relationship with God and to grow in their understanding of His Word. I am so pleased to have one of my dearest friends, Celisse Lambert, here with us today. By the time this episode airs, we’ll be stepping right into the start of 2025 and, like with every new year, we look forward to fresh dreams, goals, and growth. We ask ourselves questions such as, “How will this year be different? How would it bring us closer to what God has planned for us? Is he nudging us to make changes or try something new?”
Well, in 2021, the Lord placed it on Celisse’s heart to take a bold step: to leave her career as a lawyer and to step fully into ministry, following His will and His plan. Today, we’re going to be diving into Celisse’s journey of how she learned to discern God’s voice, and the steps that she took to faithfully move into action. Before we get started, let me share a little bit about my sweet friendgirl, Celisse. Celisse hails from Liberia, West Africa, but grew up in Marietta, Georgia. After graduating high school, she attended Penn State University, where she majored in Crime, Law, and Justice, and minored in dispute management and resolution. She earned her law degree from Widener University School of Law, now known as Delaware Law School, and went on to pass the bar exam, officially becoming a practicing attorney. For ten years Celisse excelled as a lawyer while also lecturing at esteemed institutions, including the French Ministry of Education, and Châlons—
Celisse: En-Champagne, yes.
CortneyJo: —en-Champagne, France, and Newman University in Aston, Pennsylvania. However, three years ago, Celisse began to hear the voice of God calling her into a new direction. Obedient to his lead, she now serves faithfully as the missions and groups pastor at Faith Promise Church, the North Knox location. Celisse is married, and the proud mom of two beautiful boys. And in her words, “When I’m not wearing wife, mom, and pastor hats, I’m usually sleeping, child.” [laugh].
But on a more serious note, she shares that she’s in a season in her life where her greatest desire, outside of family and ministry, is to spend time with God. She’s embracing his preparation, his pruning, and molding as he leads her into all that he has planned for her. Celisse, I am so, so glad to have you with us here today. Thank you. Thank you for joining us. This is a dream come true.
As I was sharing with you right before the podcast got started, how I’ve been talking to you about, like, Celisse, I want to tell your story, have you tell your story one day in this way, and here we are today. So, thank you for being here.
Celisse: Thank you, too.
CortneyJo: Let’s just dive right on into you discerning the voice of God.
Celisse: Yes.
CortneyJo: So Celisse, tell us a little bit about your journey, the moment that you sensed the Lord speaking to you and calling you to move into full time ministry.
Celisse: Yeah, it happened over a period of time. When I was in law school, I would say halfway through, I was like, I don’t want to practice law, but I’ve come all this way. It was something that I had my heart set on since I was a young teenager, and I’m not a quitter, so I followed through, and I did it, and I got the job, and did all the things. And there was a point where I arrived, you know? I had the husband, the house, the kids, right? We had “Status” but I was so empty, and I just felt like I was spiraling still.
And one day, after we moved to Tennessee, I heard God say, “You ready to try it my way?” And so, I was like, “Well, I tried it all the other ways, [laugh] and I’ve arrived, and I still feel empty. So yeah, let’s do it, God.” And from there, he had just been molding me, and transforming me, and softening me, and showing me more of him, and his perspective, and doors closed that were supposed to close, and other ones opened that were supposed to be open. And I just started to fall more and more in love with him.
"Here is where I will be until you say otherwise.”
And the instant I opened my hands and said, “God, you are, this is for my good, this is for your glory that I am here,” the instant I did that and shift from that resistance, maybe two months later, I was sitting in a hotel in a Zoom, and I heard a whisper say, “Quit your job.” [laugh].
CortneyJo: [laugh].
Celisse: It was literally, “Quit your job.” It was so—it was a whisper. But you know, when God talks, I was just [gasp]—so much so that I, like, looked over my shoulder, like, to just—what? You know? Was I hearing that correctly? And so, you know, my initial response was, wow, wow, wow, you know?
But then like, “Okay, God, you know I’ve been wanting to do this, you know, so you won’t have to confirm for me.”
CortneyJo: Yes, yes, yes.
Celisse: “This is you because Celisse wants to quit, but I’m only going to do that if this is your will.” And so, I think you know that submission and willingness to do whatever it is that he wanted me to do was part of him, allowing him—or teaching me, showing me his confirmations. And so, over the next, gosh, two months, he confirmed it every which way, through this person, through that person, through that TV commercial, through that sermon, through that dream, you know, to make sure. Because I was like, I need to know that I know that I know it’s you. People wouldn’t even know, but it would just be, like, a knowing when someone said something, or when I heard something, those, like, spiritual senses went off, like, okay, that’s God. That’s God. Okay, that’s from him.
They’re not even talking nothing about work or ministry or anything like that. Some random statement about their kids would be God speaking to me, right? And so, me being on the lookout for that, right, that was a part of it. I had to, like, God, I’m looking for you every day, every day, and everywhere, so I don’t miss you in confirming this is what you want me to do. Yes.
And so, that was the beginning of it, him confirming it for me, and meditating on it, and praying about it, and then talking with my husband about it, you know? That was part of the process as well. And he was very skeptical [laugh] in the beginning, very skeptical. And he’s just, like, “Oh, like, you were the lawyer. Like, you’re supposed to be the breadwinner, Celisse. Like, what are you doing?” You know?
And having to wrestle in that the whole time, like, okay, my husband’s saying one thing and God is saying another thing. He’s always been super supportive of me. But in this moment, it was like, well, what am I going to choose, right? Am I going to listen to what God is saying, or am I going to submit to my husband as well? And so, God worked on him to a point where he was like, “Okay, like, you can try this,” you know, like, “We can go there, if this is what God is calling you to do.”
And he was faithful to show out and show out through that whole time. When I quit, I was home for six months, and that was like bliss [laugh]. It was bliss. I got up, the kids got on the bus, I sat with God until twelve, one o’clock every day, and just growing and praying, and repenting, and learning and just being prepared, you know? And we had savings.
And the instant the money started dwindling, right, that last month, where I was like, okay, God, we about to, like, have to go into some money we don’t want to go into, you know, like, retirement and other savings. And I was just like, okay, like, we going to go into it if you want us to go into it, God, but I don’t want to go into it [laugh].
CortneyJo: So, let’s talk about that a little bit, Celisse, because you didn’t—like, you had a six month break, but you didn’t know how long it was going to be. So, it wasn’t like you left your practicing as an attorney to just immediately jumping into full-time ministry. You heard the Lord, you confirmed that you knew it was him, you and your husband, you know, talked about it until the point where your husband, he wasn’t on board, but then he got on board, and I know, just probably your individual prayers, you all’s prayers together. But when you made that decision to quit, you didn’t have something else on the other side right away.
Celisse: That’s correct. That’s correct.
CortneyJo: Let’s talk about that. So, what was that like? That was truly a faith walk to say, “Okay, Lord, I believe this is you. I’m going to go ahead and let this other thing go, and I’m just going to let you make room.”
Celisse: Yeah, part of that was God showing up in my lives in other ways, previously, other ways where I had my back up against the wall, and if it wasn’t for him, I would have never gotten out of whatever situation, you know? Sometimes I just be like, man, I could have been dead, right, but for God, in the situations that I used to put myself in, you know? And so, having that experience before Him, knowing Him, and seeing His faithfulness to me despite my sinfulness, helped me to take the next step of faith, right, and choosing him over everything else. He just has to be the priority, and not knowing where I’m going, relying on what I know to be his character and his goodness. And that just means being in the Word, you know?
Having the experience, yes, but do you believe it, you know? Do you believe what he says he is, and who he says he is? And then, when you believe it, do you trust it? Do you trust him enough to believe what he says? And it’s a journey to get there, right, from knowledge, to belief, to trust, to surrender. It’s a journey to get there, but at some point you have to make the decision.
CortneyJo: Oh, I love that, Celisse. Can we go back to that? I love that, that process. I love what you just talked about, it’s a journey to get there. From knowledge—what was the second—
Celisse: Belief.
CortneyJo: —belief…
Celisse: Trust.
CortneyJo: —trust—
Celisse: And then surrender.
CortneyJo: —and then surrender.
Celisse: Yeah.
CortneyJo: Well, can you talk to us a little bit about those four. I like that so much.
Celisse: Yes, God showed me that, gosh, like, towards the beginning of my journey. Because you will never surrender—when he showed it to me in that order, he reversed it in how he explained it, and that was, “You will never surrender to something you don’t trust, and you will never trust something you don’t believe, and you will never believe something you don’t know.”
CortneyJo: Oh, Celisse.
Celisse: You know?
CortneyJo: Girl.
Celisse: Telling you.
CortneyJo: Where the Kleenex box [laugh]?
Celisse: [laugh].
CortneyJo: I should have known I needed Kleenex somewhere. Okay, go ahead. I’m so sorry.
Celisse: And so, getting through that can—you know, some people get through it faster, six months a year, sometimes it takes us ten years to move in that journey with him, right, with surrender being the goal.
CortneyJo: That’s really good. That’s so good. Thank you for explaining that to us, and in that way. I loved how you explained it forward, and I loved how you explained it backwards. I think even hearing you say it backwards resonated with me even more. That was so good.
Did you ever have doubts along the way? Was there fear? And you know, one of the things I’ve learned recently is that doubt can destroy faith. But did you ever have doubts? And if so, how did you overcome the doubt?
Celisse: No [laugh].
CortneyJo: [laugh].
Celisse: No because he confirmed it—
CortneyJo: Yeah, that’s good.
Celisse: 17—literally—17 different times. I did not have any doubts because of it. Fear? Sure, you know? Because I didn’t know what was next. I knew what was next was good for me because his plans are good for me. But the fear comes in, I think, because I’m a mom, you know? If it was just me, sure you want me to live in my car for a little bit and have that be a part of my journey? I’m good with that.
But I’m thinking about my kids, like, you know, we got to keep this house for them. We got to do this for them, and you know, the schools, and all the things for them, that’s when the fear starts creeping in. Okay, God, like, you can do whatever you want to do with me, but them, I don’t know, you know? And so, it was in those moments of where those fear thoughts crept in. But I was so occupied with him and looking forward to my time with Him every day that there just wasn’t room.
CortneyJo: I love that.
Celisse: There just wasn’t room for fear or doubt every day, you know? And even in that wrestling period of where the money was dwindling—and I wrestled with it, I would say for a good couple of weeks. Like, okay, God, should I go back? Like, no, no, no, I can’t go back. I can’t go back. You know?
And just, like, what are you going to do? It was, really, should we tap into this money, or should I deplete the bank account? Because I know, God, that’s when you move right, like, right on time. And so, I was really wrestling, tap into this other money or wait to see what you do. And I waited. I chose to wait, knowing that if it was there, okay, it was there. But I didn’t want to, like, have that as a safety net.
I wanted to be God, I’m all in, you know, and just see what he does, you know, and just put yourself in that position to be, like, what are you going to do, God? You know? And I didn’t want to outpace him at all, so I was willing to get to that zero bank account—
CortneyJo: Ooh Celisse.
Celisse: Because I didn’t want to outpace him. I was so hungry to see what he was going to do. So, he showed up.
CortneyJo: Yeah, how did he do it? Like, what did he do specifically for you?
Celisse: Two weeks before the end of that month, Faith Promise approached me and said, “Hey, we got this position open, and we would love for you to apply it, and we’re not really going to tell other people about it, so we would love for you to apply.” [laugh].
CortneyJo: Yeah, yes. Yes.
Celisse: You know? And I went through that process, and I was just like, “Wow, look at that?” And what would have happened had I jumped the gun and did things out of my fear, or did things in my own time or in my own understanding? And so, you learn, gosh, we fret, you know? We fret, especially when we feel like our back is up against the wall, but I feel like in those moments, or when you just got to wait and sit and be still until he says, “All right, move. Move.” You know? Or opens the door for you.
CortneyJo: Celisse, this is so good, and it’s like really ministering even to me in this moment, and so I really thank you for sharing all that. And I love what you said about, like, just, really waiting on him. But you said you were able to do—I want to make sure we kind of underline that—is that you were able to do that because you had this personal relationship with him, and you were in His Word daily. You were in the Word of God daily. So, you’re praying daily, you’re in the Word of God daily, I’m assuming, maybe journaling, taking some notes, you know, writing down some things that you were sensing, hearing from the Lord—
Celisse: Yeah.
CortneyJo: —that was how you were able to do that.
Celisse: Yeah.
CortneyJo: And to, like, not only faithfully walk with him, but patiently do it, right?
Celisse: Yeah, yeah. And it’s still a journey, you know? As you continue to grow with him, it never gets mundane, it never gets old. It never, like, gets to the point where you don’t have to make those choices, will I trust him or will I not trust him? He just takes you on to higher and deeper levels, you know, and you still got to keep asking yourself those same questions every level that you are with him.
CortneyJo: That’s good. So, how does it feel to be in alignment with his will? Because let’s go back to at the start of this. You were saying how the Lord was like, “Okay, you ready to do it my way?” Because you felt empty before. So, how does it feel now that you’re in alignment with his will and the plan for your life?
Celisse: I wouldn’t ev—I don’t know if I even focus on that much, you know? I am focusing on the next thing, that light on my feet is what I’m focusing on, and really that’s it. And so, for me, being in alignment is not a place where I have arrived and then I can just be like, “Hoo, okay, I’m here.” Like, “God, I am in your will.” You know, being in alignment is warfare, right, because you have to fight your flesh, and you have to fight the world, and you got to fight the enemy, all to stay in alignment with him.
And so, for me, I just don’t focus on, like, being in alig—my prayer is, “Lord, keep me in your will, and you know, prune me,” and constant repentance, and being in His Word, and making sure that I stay close to Him so that I know what his will is for my life, you know? Because the instant I feel like—when you feel like you’ve gotten comfortable is when we start missing the mark, you know? So, that being an alignment is active. It’s not a place that you get to. You got to work at it and do it—
CortneyJo: Amen.
Celisse: Every day.
CortneyJo: I hear you.
Celisse: Every day.
CortneyJo: That’s so, so good. Oh, that’s so good. Celisse, so I wanted to ask you a little bit more about discerning the voice of God. Tell us a little bit more about how you specifically discern the voice of God. How do you know when he’s speaking to you?
Celisse: Yeah. Different ways. And I think he speaks to us all in different ways, at times as well. And sometimes he’ll speak to me in a certain way in one season, in a different way in another season. And so, I think the foundation is always being connected to Him, knowing His Word, right? Jesus says, “My sheep will know who I am and my voice.”
And so, being connected to him, right, prayer and in His Word, you learn how to hear His voice, you know the things that he says, and you learn what he doesn’t say, right? He convicts, he doesn’t condemn, you know? And so, just from reading scripture, you can learn the things, and how God talks without ever even hearing his voice, right? And so, I would say that’s always the foundation, right, being connected to him. For me, personally, God has spoken to me through dreams.
A lot of times, through dreams, he speaks in that whisper that I talked about, just a small, still voice. Sometimes he’ll speak to me through His Word, and sometimes it’s just like a knowing, something that—one of my friends says—“You know it in your knower.” You just know that you know that you know that it’s God speaking to you. And it’s a practice. You do have to practice hearing his voice and listening for him.
And so, being in the position to whereas you are actively listening for his voice, but also getting that discernment to learn, what is his voice, what’s your voice, what’s the world’s voice, what’s the enemy’s voice as well, and then getting in the habit of confirming, you know? Because sometimes it’s just a random thought that just comes to your head, and if you don’t have that discernment yet—God was that you? Is that you God? Can you confirm that for me?—or going to Scripture to make sure what it is that you think you heard is in alignment with His Word, you know?
CortneyJo: Yeah.
Celisse: And then he speaks through other people.
CortneyJo: Yes, that’s what I was just getting ready to ask you. So one, yeah, definitely understanding the character of God through His Word just really helps us to know when it’s him. So, the Bible also talks about there being safety and a multitude of counselors. Do you talk to other people about, okay, this is what I feel like I hear the Lord saying. Or how do you have those conversations with others? Or do you have a crew, or just some people? Like, I go to these two people or these three people.
Celisse: Yeah, so important, so important to have that. Sometimes God will speak to me when I’m not even looking for him to speak to me through that person, right? It’s again, just that knowing that comes. And so, having Christian community is so important because of that because he’ll use whoever, right, to speak to you without them even knowing. I’m not going to take advice for someone who is not in the world—word—you know? Or is not a believer of Jesus.
Not to say that they might not have good advice, but when it comes to the decisions that I make, and how I’m going to raise my family, I want someone that I know is also believing and following Jesus, right? So, that’s one. But yes, surrounding yourself—and it doesn’t have to be many—with people who you can share your life with and who can hold you accountable, right? The Bible talks about ironing sharpen iron.
And it was so interesting, we were just having this conversation, me and my colleagues, the other day, and talking about the importance of having iron sharpening your iron—not wood, not plastic—sharpening iron, you know? You have to be the same. And that means that they, too, have to also be in Christ, you know? And so yes, having those friendgirls who are in the Word, and are not judgmental, and want the best for me as well, and aren’t afraid to say, “Girl, you messing up,” you know?
CortneyJo: Amen. Amen.
Celisse: Which is so important. Or that are even interceding for you, you know? “I was praying for you, Celisse, the other day, and I feel like God said this,” you know? And again, it doesn’t have to be five or ten women—or men or whoever—but having at least one is very important, right? Because where two is gathered in my name…
CortneyJo: I love that you were just, you know, talking about just having the friendgirls. I do have another question for you before I get to that question. One of the things about the friendgirls is, like, even, you know, sometimes it’s like, oh, even want to make sure, like, are they even—even though, like, they can be Christian and stuff, but like, just making sure that is this good, is this okay? Like, I remember one of my really close friendgirls, and she knows this is sweet story for us, but I remember she and I were talking about something, and she was telling me to, like, “CJ, you need to, you know, do something that”—I was like, now, why would she tell me that, you know? And I remember it was making me uncomfortable, and I remember struggling and wondering, like, you know, is my friend saying something she shouldn’t be saying to me, right?
But what helped me was that I couldn’t think of a time when my friendgirl didn’t love me, couldn’t think of a time when she didn’t love me, and even though what she was saying to me at this point was probably a little bit harder than what I was used to hearing from her, I knew because of that relationship that she and I had, that I could trust even in this. Like, she’s telling me something that’s a little hard for me to hold on to, but I knew she still loved me through that. And so, my point in even bringing that up is just saying, even though we’re talking to our friendgirls, and we are—you know, they’re helping us to discern and unders—you know, are we hearing the voice of God, still make sure we go back to the Lord, and you know, just pray and say, “Lord, you know, one more time, let me know.” I want to ask you this question about feelings. When you sense peace or so, do you trust those type of feelings when it comes to discerning God’s will or his voice or his direction? Like, “Oh, I feel this sense of peace, so I feel like this is the direction I go in.” Do you ever—
Celisse: Yes and no.
CortneyJo: —lean on that? Okay.
Celisse: Yes and no, you know? And so again, it’s always about that confirmation. But with the experience, and the practice, and watching God move, I have learned when it is just a feeling and when it’s him because, you know, we can’t trust our feelings all the time, right? And sometimes God, he’s giving us feelings as well, right? And he moves and works through those feelings as well.
So, it’s always about confirmation. Again, comparing it to the Word of God, you know? Like, if you are feeling—there’s nothing wrong with being sad, or grieving, or even being angry, right? We can have righteous anger, but are you going to bed angry? Is that anger a stronghold or a foothold now for you to begin sinning, right?
The Word says we can be angry without sinning, but are you in the point of sinning now, right? So, we always have to check our emotions up against God’s word experience them, which is fine, but don’t cross the line to the point where you are sinning. And that’s just sometimes, that’s self-control, right? You got to use all the fruits of the Spirit [laugh], right, and exercise that self-control. I’m angry in this moment, I’m sad in this moment, I’m joyful in this moment. Let me measure that up against God.
CortneyJo: That’s amazing.
Celisse: Yeah.
CortneyJo: Thank you so much. That was so good. You have shared so much good with us about knowing how to discern the voice of God, waiting on Him, being faithful in that patience. I want to hear your thoughts about being a MUCH Woman. As you know, this podcast is about encouraging women to be MUCH, MUCH standing for M is Measured, U is Unafraid, C is Captivating and H is Heroic. And to live at a higher standard according to God’s word. So Celisse, what does it mean to you to be a MUCH Woman, speaking from your lived experience as a woman of faith?
Celisse: Yeah. I would say a few things. A couple scriptures come to mind. Of course, always Proverbs 31, but always 1 Peter 3:5 as well, just having a gentle and quiet spirit. And really, CJ, you are the friend that I know that exhibits that the most. Because people think gentle and quiet, I think, a lot of times means weak or shy, but it really is strength.
And that’s you, friend, really. When I think about that scripture, I think about you, really. And so that, to me, is a MUCH Woman. It’s about humility and courage and knowing that your life is not your own. It’s not. And that your life is a reflection of Him, and people are watching that light in you. And so, you have to die to yourself daily, the fear, and the ego, you know, all of it, all sides of pride. You have to. It has to.
And you have to learn how to die. You have to learn how to die, and being, like, “Whatever today, God. Whatever it is today.” For me that’s a MUCH Woman. However he choose to lead you, the sacrifice that it takes to be in his will. And not that you don’t care about yourself, but that you care about and you love him more than anything else. And he guides the rest of the way.
CortneyJo: Amen. Amen. Ooh, this has been just incredible, and you are such a MUCH Woman. You know, I’ve been telling you for just as long as we’ve known each other. It's been such a blessing that you were one of my sweet friends that I’ve met since living here in Knoxville, and it’s only God that we were connected. And I just have always admired you from day one. Day one. Your strength as well, and also your beautiful walk with the Lord. Celisse, thank you so much for being here and chatting with us. I know that some of our friendgirls listening, they’re going to want to, like, be able to stay connected with you. What’s a way that they can learn more about you or see you again? What’s some ways—
Celisse: Yeah, yeah. So, I’m at Faith Promise Church at the North Knox campus. I would love to walk with you guys, sit under something with you, and just share, and love, and grow with God together. So, that’s where you can find me. Faith Promise at the North Knox campus.
CortneyJo: That’s amazing. That’s amazing. Thank you so much. And just to our listeners, as we get ready to wrap up here, just want to thank you so much again for just tuning in with us and joining us. And just want to remind you of muchwoman.com. You go there, information on this particular episode with Celisse will be on muchwoman.com.
Remember to check out our blog. We’ll have an accompanying blog to Celisse’s episode as well. The blog comes out on the 22nd of every month. Why the 22nd? Because the first one came out on the 22nd, so I just thought we’ll just do all of them on the 22nd of each month. So, that’s what we’ll do. Again, muchwoman.com. You can go there for more information.
Celisse, it was so wonderful having you with us today. Thank you so much for sharing your incredible journey and your testimony of God’s faithfulness in your life. Friendgirl, you are truly a MUCH Woman in every sense of the word.
Celisse: Thank you.
CortneyJo: I love you, and thank you so much for being here.
Celisse: Thank you.
CortneyJo: Stay updated with the latest episodes of the podcast at muchwoman.com, and tune in on Apple Podcast, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever fine podcasts are available. We look forward to seeing you next time.